Explain how Winogradsky columns illustrate the diversity of microorganisms found on Earth today in

terms ofthe diversity of niches they occupy.

In different layers form in the column based on the availability of oxygen and other nutrients. Different
groups of organisms can occupy each of these layers, but they all came from the original sample. It
illustrates the point that there is a rich diversity of organisms usually near our environments that are
your backyard stream and canals. Furthermore, the gradients themselves are a product of microbial
metabolism. The Microbes also illustrate that they don't just adapt to their metabolism to the
environment; they are metabolisms creating chemical niches to the environment.

Explain what the Winogradsky columns illustrate about life on early Earth.

Most of the strata in the columns are anoxic, yet life abounds. Similarly, Earth’s early atmosphere was
devoid of oxygen, but microfossils and geochemical evidence suggest that life was ubiquitous. A large
diversity of microbes are adapted to live without oxygen that can greatly contribute to maintaining the
sustainability of the environment. The Winogradsky columns are ecosystems in which the byproducts
from one group of organisms support the growth of one another (e.g., Desulfovibrio produces sulfide,
which can support the growth of green and purple sulfur bacteria). In this way, microbes shaped the
environment to create ecological niches for other organisms. On a global scale, cyanobacteria are
organisms that can produce molecular oxygen as a byproduct accumulated through photosynthesis that
could be larger and more complex life forms evolve.

Reference:

Zahra, Z., Choo, D. H., Lee, H., & Parveen, A. (2020, February 12). Cyanobacteria: Review of Current
Potentials and Applications. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/7/2/13/htm.